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Platt Announces Financial Crisis at SBC's International Mission Board

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Jerome, Aug 27, 2015.

  1. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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  2. McCree79

    McCree79 Well-Known Member
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    "That income has been supplemented in recent years with reserve funds, as well as proceeds from the sales of missionary housing and other property overseas."

    This is somewhat shocking to me. I have not heard of a financial issue. Not even out of my county Baptist Association.

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  3. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    One of the difficult things that Dr Platt must do is unwind a very complex organization with ranging assets from decades of mission work. His goal is to create a more nimble and efficient organization, but to get there they need to address fundamental change in the organization. It will be painful but necessary.

    We need more efficient systems and agencies top to bottom. Our focus should always be on going and reaching the world with the Gospel. The IMB has the greatest missionary force in the world today. Perhaps these cuts will make a better organization amid a season of looming marginalization and oppression across the world.
     
  4. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    Hard to give to missions when installing theatrical lighting and sound systems, coffee shops, etc.
     
  5. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    Well you have the president of your organization maintaining what is essentially a competing organization in terms of donor dollars, not terribly surprising. The move back to church based missions is not a new trend, just catching up to IMB.
     
  6. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    Help me out here, I'm not following about the competing organization. Just curious thanks!
     
  7. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    David Platt is the President of the IMB, not a competing organization. The IMB is the international missions arm of the SBC. So I have no idea what go2church is talking about either
     
  8. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    http://www.radical.net/about/

    http://www.radical.net/about/funding.html

    Churches, particularly the large ones, have been decreasing IMB giving for years. it can't help having the president of IMB dipping in the pool of support so to speak.
     
  9. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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  10. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    I'm not sure what you're seeing here either. Not to speak about my personal life too much, but I know that the yearly budget the Radical Ministries can't keep the power on at the IMB HQ for a month. Your complaint doesn't seem necessary nor awfully significant.

    Now, as for the second point you raise, yes, there has been notable shift by many (not most) SBC churches to approaching their Cooperative Program giving differently. At the church where I get to serve, we've expanded our ministry base of where we give while staying consistent in our overall CP giving. That giving is a percentage of our total budget. As we've grown we've been able to give more dollars but we've also expanded our support of other missions and church planting efforts that aren't just SBC.

    Many churches and SBC leaders have been disappointed with what we've perceived to be a burdensome bureaucracy that takes too much of a premium from our CP funds that should be used to help missionaries directly. With the budgetary growth of many non-sending agencies in the SBC, we've voiced our concerns about the lack of funding getting to the missionaries in the field. We've been silenced and ignored. So, for many SBC leaders of churches of all sizes, we've decided to speak through our giving since that is what is noted.

    I love the IMB. Its as fine a missionary organization as there has been in the history of Christianity. Over the decades since the height of the SBC's growth there has been a lot of bureaucracy that began with good intentions but has, particularly in recent years, enfeebled the missionary effort. Dr Platt is, as best he can, attempting to address that issue.
     
  11. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    The powers that be have been working to pull funds from the US in areas like the south west where we have completely abandoned those areas in order to put more funds to the IMB.

    Churches are not hip to that and if something doesn't change it will only get worse. Churches, associations, and even a few states are keeping funds back to make up for the loss of work by NAMB in their areas.

    Sorry they do not get to have it both ways.
     
  12. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    Fortunately, here in Florida, Dr. Tommy Green, new Executive Director/Treasurer, is cutting the bureaucracy that was at the headquarters AND going to a real 51/49% but with 51% going to the national convention so more can go to the IMB and NAMB. This first year it will amount to approximately an additional $1.5 million to the IMB and approximately $800,000 more to the NAMB.

    The IMB living way outside of its' means was not right and will result in less missionaries going to the world. But, as Hudson Taylor once said, "Things will look up if they're looked after."
     
  13. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    So we have the IMB retiring early 6-800 missionaries but they just appointed 42 more. So how is this reasonable or possible?


    *Note I tried to post a link to the BP article but it rejects my post when I do that.
     
    #13 Revmitchell, Aug 28, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2015
  14. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    It just looks like they are pushing out seasoned people in order to bring in young people.
     
  15. McCree79

    McCree79 Well-Known Member
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    I seen that as well. I thought it was a little strange.

    http://www.bpnews.net/45391/42-imb-missionaries-appointed-platt-addresses-trustees

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  16. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    My point is that the support is from basically the same pool of folks. It was a question that came up when Platt became president of the IMB.

    IMB has been struggling for some time. The question I have is does this reflect a leadership problem or a systemic problem?
     
  17. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. Having said that I do not really care for Platt and am not impressed with him leading the IMB.
     
  18. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    Maybe, maybe not, but the first time experiment, president with another para church ministry, doesn't seem to be going well.

    Didn't like the Platt appointment either. There is a huge difference between mission trip experience and missionary experience.
     
  19. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Yea I think his getting that is all about his age and not much more. I also think right now in a number of places in the SBC seasoned vets are being pushed aside for young bucks. I am suspicious that is a large part of why we all the sudden need to get rid of 6-800 missionaries while at the same time we appoint 42 more. Just my suspicion.
     
  20. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    I have an idea! Let's put wet bars across the halls from the coffee shops! All this talk against alcohol is just teetotaling claptrap anyway. Think of the clientele, and the money we could make! (All for missions, of course.)
     
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